


from the bottom of my lungs

by naimeria



Series: Nalowale Manawa [2]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Coda, Episode: s05e07 Ina Paha (If Perhaps)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-08
Updated: 2014-12-08
Packaged: 2018-02-28 16:51:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2739881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/naimeria/pseuds/naimeria
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Things still seem a bit off-kilter, like he’s walking straight in a room built crooked. </p><p>A Coda for the aftermath of Ina Paha (If Perhaps).</p>
            </blockquote>





	from the bottom of my lungs

**Author's Note:**

> This is part of a series of character studies, most (if not all) taking place between scenes.
> 
> There are some things neglected for time, and while this show is brilliant when it comes to character growth and development, there's only so much they can squeeze into approximately 43 minutes.
> 
> I'm hoping to fill some gaps.

Things still seem a bit off-kilter, like he’s walking straight in a room built crooked. Adjustment has always been a strong suit of his - had to be. He’d thought Five-0 would be a respite after being a SEAL for so long, but it was just another adjustment, another task that he threw himself into with all the vivaciousness of a man determined to succeed. 

And he did. His team was perfect, in all the ways it was flawed. Danny was loud and brash and more human than he’d ever thought he’d be able to tolerate. Chin was bruised but still proud, the chips on his shoulders unable to dull his sense of justice. Kono was all bark and bite, a breath of innocence that also came with a natural fire. They all formed something powerful and impenetrable, and he is more grateful for it now than words can say. 

It quickly became more than just work, Steve knows, and it all came from both Danny and Catherine. Cath is a separate entity now, and his chest tightens with the reminder of it. God, he misses her. Danny doesn’t replace her, but his spot in his heart is right beside hers, and Steve’s relationship with him is fulfilling for him in many of the ways Cath’s was. But now he has neither, Cath across the world and Danny, well, he may as well be, because he’s not here in the sand beside him. 

Sitting on his own little paradise and staring out into the open water is more a curse than a blessing, now. All he sees are his own footprints from years ago, hears his parents and his little sister and all the things that haven’t haunted him for years. This place had finally become a home again, filled with life and happiness and love, and now it’s taken a step back, echoing all the things it’s seen and the people it’s lost. Things are fuzzy and he  _knows_ that his father is gone, he does. But the sand is shifty beneath him, and it makes it all a little bit harder. 

That’s where Danny comes in. All he wants to see, strangely enough, is Grace. Someone wholly separate and untouched by everything that's happened the past few days. It's not Danny's fault, but Steve still sees it written all over his face: his eyes shine with _I almost lost you_ and _are you okay?_ He knows Danny loves him, and the thought warms him to his core, but he wants those shadows gone from Danny's eyes, and Grace is the only person that's ever given him that. Steve loves the love they share, the undying dedication that Danny will always have for his daughter, and the unyielding faith that Grace will (hopefully) always have in her father. Without thinking, his phone is at his ear, because he doesn’t often ask for things he needs, but right now he feels like a ship at sea, and he needs something to anchor him in place.

"Hey, man. You, uh, have Grace this weekend?" 

And bless Danny, because there’s no confusion, he just says “yeah, we’re at the zoo, but Grace-face doesn’t even really want to see the marsupials, does she?” and he hears Grace laughing on the other end, and the dead laughter on the beach is slowly fading to the rush of the ocean. 

It’s not long after that he hears the backdoor open and the little footsteps that follow. And when he’s suddenly being knocked forward, a warmth wrapping around his back and chest as a little voice crows “hi uncle Steve!” in his ear, something in his chest loosens and vanishes. A broad hand latches onto his shoulder, a light and almost tentative touch, and he wants to turn and really see Danny, see what he’s thinking. Grace has released her hug, though, and has moved from his back to his front, grabbing his hand and pulling him to his feet with a proclamation that they should play frisbee in the waves because Danno even brought his board shorts.

And the three of them do just that, the laughter of a little girl and a warm hand on his shoulder as good an anchor as he’ll ever need. 


End file.
